Info from NHS, Community, Police, Fire & Councils

Home , Pymoor, Soham, Swaffham Prior

Info from NHS, Community, Police, Fire & Councils We know there is a lot of information to take in right now. Together we will make sense of it. This brings together information from a range of community partners and is correct today (7 April). Each organisation will have up-to-date info on their websites and social media.

Ely North & South Primary Care Networks.

As your local GP practices, we are facing our most significant challenge in the history of the NHS. The two Ely Primary Care Networks are working together to provide you with the best care, across the following GP surgeries: Burwell, Haddenham, and Staploe (Ely South PCN); and Cathedral, St George’s, and St Mary’s (Ely North PCN).

Please be reassured that all the changes we have made to how we deliver your care are to keep you and our staff as safe and well as possible, in line with government advice. We are working closely with community organisations to keep our community well. Where there are longer delays than you might like, please be patient with us.

Key changes are explained below. They may vary between practices but it gives you a good idea of what to expect, recognising that this may change again as the epidemic progresses.

1. More phone and video consultations. We have reduced face to face consultations in surgeries and at home, including residential and nursing homes, and are introducing video consultations. Your primary way of reaching your GP is now via: a. AskMyGP for Staploe, Haddenham, Cathedral, or St. George’s; or b. By phone at Burwell (01638 741234) and St Mary’s (01353 663434).

2. Reduced services. If we have cancelled an appointment with you, it’s because we are re-focusing our teams to help those who may have contracted Covid- 19, and/or to minimise the risk of spread of Covid-19.

3. Prescription changes. The demand for repeat prescriptions has increased by about 50% since the government announced the strict self-isolation guid- ance. This is putting immense pressure on our dispensaries and pharmacies. Please don’t order your repeats early or stock-pile medication. Request them no more than 10 days before you are due to run out. We can only issue 1 month’s worth of medication.

4. Government guidelines. The best ways to protect yourself and your family are to follow the government guidelines on social distancing applicable to everyone in the UK, self-isolation if someone in your household develops symptoms, and good personal hygiene. Prescription services - Good Practice Advice

The demand for repeat prescriptions continues to be higher than normal, and we are also seeing much higher demand for advice. Due to social distancing guidelines, we have a smaller team than normal.

This is a stressful and challenging time for everyone, and we are very grateful to our patients who have been so understanding and appreciative of the situation. We are also deeply grateful to the volunteer groups who are collecting and delivering prescriptions to our vulnerable or self-isolating patient. It is an enormous contribution to the national effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. THANK YOU.

We are continually monitoring and adapting our approach to ensure that we maintain service to patients, and that we do so in a sustainable way. Below are up to date guidelines for patients to follow.

Please don’t order your repeats early or stock-pile medication. Request them no more than 10 days before you are due to run out. We can only issue 1 month’s worth of medication.

If you collect your prescription in person: Please honour the social distancing guidelines. Don’t bring extra family members if you can avoid it, queue at least 2m apart, and maintain only 2 people at the front desk at once. We know this takes time and effort. Thank you for your patience and kindness to our staff while you wait.

If you need your prescription delivered If you are currently being shielded or self-isolating, and are unable to collect your prescriptions yourself, don't panic! There are lots of local volunteer groups who are collecting and delivering prescriptions to patients in need; contact information of many East Cambridgeshire community responses included in this leaflet. All of them are set up slightly differently, so please talk to your local group and un- derstand what delivery(ies) they can offer, what information they need from you, and when they need it by. Please also remember: using a delivery service may take a little more time to receive your prescription than if you or a friend collected it, so contact them as soon as possible to ensure you receive your medication in time. Where to go for support There is lots of fantastic natural neighbourly support happening. If you need further help…. 1.Try Local first

You can find details of your local community response in East Cambs on the next two pages. The help offered varies. Examples of the support offered include shop- ping, running errands and friendly phone calls. For most up-to-date list, check: www.eastcambs.gov.uk/content/ community-support-group-details

2. If you need other support East Cambs District Council will help you or direct you to the right support...

East Cambridgeshire District Council

If you need help during the coronavirus outbreak.

Please get in touch

Call (01353) 665555 email: [email protected] Local Village Support Groups and Help

Village Group Contact

Ashley Ashley Parish Support Group Kevin Dadds 01638 731043

Bottisham General Support 07572 892227 Bottisham and Lode shop- 07852 549654 lines open 9- Bottisham ping deliveries 11.30am Brinkley/Burrough Green/Westley Wa- TBC terless Burwell Burwell Help Group Kirsty Pierson 01638 614331 Burwell Day Centre (meals Burwell Elly Catling 01638 743363 on wheels 5 days) Cheveley Parish and Support Cheveley Marylin Strand 01638 743363 Group Chippenham Chippenham Helping Hands 07585 963756 Coveney (covering Coveney Village Hall Support 07890 988443 Wardy Hill) Group Dullingham Volunteer Net- Dullingham 01638 507997 work Ely 07704 156867 Fordham Fordham Timebank 07395 941522 haddenhamvolun- Haddenham Haddenham Support Group [email protected] Isleham Parish and Volun- Isleham 07831 168899 teer Group kennettpari- Kennett [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/ groups/210170143557727/ Little Downham and or [email protected] Covid-19 Mutual Aid Pymoor or [email protected], register online, or phone 07850 521590

Local Village Support Groups and Help (continued)

Village Group Contact Little Thetford Parish and Little Thetford 07795 200447 Friendship Group Covid19helplittle- [email protected] Littleport Covid-19 Group or clerk@littleportparishcouncil. gov.uk Mepal Parish and Support Mepal 07842 499377 Group Reach Parish Council and Sup- Reach [email protected] port Group 01353 723472 (weekdays 9am- Soham Soham Handy Helpers 1pm) or info@soham_tc.gov.uk Stetchworth 01638 780835 Stretham Parish Council and Stretham [email protected] Stretham Womens Institute Sutton Sutton Timebank 07595 736664 https://www.facebook.com/ Sutton Sutton Handy Helpers groups/207511013643355/ Sutton Surgery PPG (medication Sutton 07749 838267 deliveries) Swaffham Bulbeck Support Re- [email protected] Swaffham Bulbeck sponse or 01223 813556 [email protected] Swaffham Prior Parish Support Swaffham Prior or 07825 787896 Response or [email protected] Wicken Wicken Support Group [email protected] Wilburton Isolation Support Wilburton [email protected] Group Witcham Parish and Support 01353 774913 Witcham Group or 07900 566544 07933 547290 Witchford Parish and Support Witchford or https://www.facebook.com/ Group groups/154160679077485/ Wentworth 07842 499377 Cambridgeshire County Council

A network of COVID-19 Coordination and Response Hubs has been launched across Cambridgeshire.

This includes the countywide co-ordination hub, which has been in operation now for two weeks, and local district hubs. Ours is led by East Cambs District Council (please see details on previous page).

The countywide hub is focussed on supporting residents who have been identified as shielding and being of the highest risk. It will ensure that critical services across the public sector, such as care for the elderly, can continue through the support of staff who have been redeployed from other council services and partner organisations and the support of volunteers.

This work includes ensuring our most vulnerable residents have access to food, medicines and other important supplies, as well as ensuring broader social needs are met as far as possible, to minimise anxiety.

The East Cambs hub will provide more local support. Working closely with the countywide hub, they will also respond to individual requests, in collaboration with local support (see previous page ’Where to go for Support’ for detail)

A Message from Sargeant Mark Rabel Our Neighbourhood Policing activities will include: • Engagement with the community and key agency partners • Visibility through foot patrols and social media. Including attention to supermarkets, chemists, foodbanks and public spaces • Problem Solving in regards to neighbourhood issues that continue despite the worrying times • Targeted activity towards criminals who are still active • Monitoring any Hate related incident or crime • To be particularly aware of any homeless people and make sure details are captured and passed to the local authority • To work with our Community Safety Partnerships and their community resilience plans to support vulnerable people

I have observed an increase in domestic related incidents - we ask the community to look out for their neighbours well-being and to contact the Police if concerned. I have also seen some appalling driving along the quieter roads and have attended injury road traffic collisions. These are avoidable and consume valuable resource of the NHS. A plea to motorists to slow down! Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service We are working hard to ensure there are crews of firefighters ready to respond to emergencies. Residents are however urged to stay fire safe while they isolate in their homes, as many fires we attend can often be avoided by following safety advice or people being more careful. It is really important that residents take care while isolating and make sure they don’t put themselves at risk. Small things like not having bonfires to clear garden waste and making sure any smoking materials are disposed of properly can all help prevent an unnecessary fire, as well as thinking twice before lighting candles. One really simple thing people can do to protect their families and their home is to ensure they have working smoke alarms. They will alert you to a fire and give you precious minutes to escape to safety. You should have at least one on every floor and test them regularly. Not only are we ready to respond to emergencies, but our staff are also joining the local community hub to provide support to residents who are shielding. We are also providing support to the ambulance service by providing staff to drive ambu- lances, deliver medicines and to take vulnerable people to medical appointments. More fire safety information, including activities to keep children entertained, can be found on our website www.cambsfire.gov.uk.